Drink Drivers to be 'Named and Shamed'

After a dramatic rise in the number of fatal road accidents, tougher laws for drink-drivers could be introduced early this year including naming and shaming offenders and lowering alcohol limits.

The current legal limit is 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood for all drivers.

Transport Minister Shane Ross is calling for this limit to be reduced, and increasing Garda numbers to stop the “endemic” problem of drink-driving following a 15% increase in loss of life on Irish Roads in 2016 from the previous year. 187 people lost their life in 175 accidents last year, 25 more people than 2015.

The Alliance Minister told RTE's News at One this was “completely and utterly unacceptable.” He revealed yesterday there had been a 34% rise in the number of drivers stopped over the Christmas period for suspected drink driving.

The Road Safety Authority has suggested publishing drink-driver details in a like manner to how Revenue publishes names of people who have failed to correctly pay their taxes.

Mr Ross confirmed that other methods may be considered including increased penalties or points and longer driving bans, as well as abolishing the special concession of a €200 fine for first-time drink-driving offenders. PARC Road Safety Group welcomed Mr Ross’s plans to “stop carnage on the road” after concluding this compromise is not helping law abiding road users.

It calls for disqualifications for all drink-drivers and an adoption of a zero-tolerance policy.

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